Sputnik Bingo Pattern: Rules, Odds & Tips

Which squares make the sputnik?

The sputnik is two familiar patterns played together:

• The body: the inside square: I2, N2, G2, I3, G3, I4, N4, G4
• The antennas: the four corners: B1, O1, B5, O5

12 squares, 12 numbers. The free space sits in the hollow center of the body, so it doesn’t help. Only four of your numbers come from the outer B and O columns; the rest are in I, N and G.

The name comes from Sputnik 1, the Soviet satellite launched in 1957, which had a round body and long antennas. Some halls draw the antennas differently, so check the pattern board.

Sputnik odds by call

Exact single-card figures:

Half of single cards finish by call 72. In a room, our simulation puts the first sputnik at about call 55 with 50 cards and call 46 with 500 cards. The shape looks the same from every side, so there’s no crazy version.

Tips for players

• Think of it as two games. Track the inner ring and the corners separately; it’s easier than counting 12 squares at once.
• Corners are often the last piece. Four separate numbers in four different places are easy to wait on.
• Scan along the diagonals. Each corner lines up diagonally with a corner of the inner ring (B1 with I2, O1 with G2, and so on), so reading the four diagonals from corner to center covers eight of your twelve squares.

Tips for callers and hosts

Sputnik is a fun pattern for space-themed nights, science-club fundraisers and classroom games. At 12 numbers it’s a medium-length game for the middle or later part of a session.

A smooth way to build up to it: play four corners and the inside square earlier in the night, then announce sputnik as “both at once.”

Variations

• Filled sputnik: the 3x3 center block plus corners, which adds the free space but no extra numbers.
• Windmill: another center-and-corners shape. See the windmill.